The Constellation of Moon

The Boy Who Grew Dragons Review

Posted on November 4, 2018

The Boy Who Grew Dragons by Andy Shepherd

When Tomas discovers a strange old tree at the bottom of his grandad’s garden, he doesn’t think much of it. But he takes the funny fruit from the tree back into the house – and gets the shock and delight of his life when a tiny dragon hatches! The tree is a dragonfruit tree, and Tomas has got his very own dragon, Flicker …

Tomas soon finds out that life with Flicker is great fun, but also very … unpredictable. Yes, dragons are wonderful, but they also set fire to your toothbruth and leave your pants hanging from the TV aerial. Tomas has to learn how to look after Flicker – and quickly. And then something extraordinary happens – more dragonfruits appear on the tree. Tomas is officially growing dragons …

Rating:

With a title like that, how could I resist? I saw it in Waterstones and promptly bought it and the sequel. (And there’s another one coming out soonish).

We meet Tomas, who is helpiong his Grandpa to clear up his garden and try to grow something. As they do this they find a strange fruit which turns out to be a dragon fruit (pitaya). And well, Tomas takes one of the fruits home because he is curious about it, and then all of a sudden it hatches a tiny dragon!

Flicker is a cutie, however what is Tomas going to do now that he has a small dragon?

This was really fun to read, and I loved the fact that it is a “not everything is perfect” kind of story. The illustrations make it even better and hint at things to come. And it is also interesting to see the relationships of Tomas and family and friends.

All in all a quick enjoyable read.

Moon recommends

I have recently been reading a lot of Middle Grade, so check out The Dragon with The Chocolate Heart for example, and obviously The Boy Who Grew Dragons.

Book Review, Books

Nine Review

Posted on November 2, 2018

Nine by Zach Hines

In an alternate world startlingly close to our own, humans have nine lives—and they can’t wait to burn straight through them.

As you shed lives, you shed your awkward phases: one death is equal to one physical and mental upgrade. Julian’s friends are obsessed with the idea of burning lives, but Julian is determined to stay on his first for as long as he can. His mother, the ultimate cautionary tale, burned through her first eight in just a few years, and Julian has no intention of succumbing to the debilitating rebirth sickness that she inflicted on herself.

But the regime has death incentives aimed at controlling overpopulation, and Julian realizes that he’s going to have to burn at some point—especially when he becomes a target for Nicholas, the manipulative leader of the Burners, the school’s suicide club. And when Julian eventually succumbs, he uncovers suspicious gaps in the rebirth system that may explain exactly why his mother went so far down the rabbit hole years ago. Along with a group of student dissenters, Julian sets out to find answers and is soon on the verge of exposing the greatest conspiracy ever unleashed on the world.

He has just eight more lives to uncover the brutal truth.

Rating:

The concept of this book intrigued me very much, and I knew it may not be a “popular” book that everyone wanted to read, but it definitely had me at the premise.

What would I do with 9 lives, and also, how do you cope with rebirth? How do people come back to life? There were so many questions. So many of them. And some never got answered, however, one things this book did was a great world bulding (not that it shows itself like a word vomit, thankfully) and it gave you information as you needed (not exactly when you wanted it, but it was worth waiting to find out how they were reborn, what happened as you died.

There was also a lot of intersting characters, and it posed a question on suicide and death.

And population control, as the goverment gives economical incentives for families to reach a certain “lives expended” quotient so that they can earn more or get better jobs/promotions, or better homes/neighbourhoods. And it was interesting to see how it had been posed in this book and made me wonder if we had those lives how it would be controlled.

I think I would’ve been one of those that stayed at her first life for as long as possible as the panicky anxious part of me would think “but what if someone runs me over? or a fire happens? I may loose a life then and what if I was already on my 8th or something like that?”

All in all it was a much creepier read than I expected it to be, but it was also extremely interesting and it kept me hooked.

Moon recommends

Read Nine for a spooky creepy look at life that will keep you on the edge of your seat. A book that kept comign to mind as read this was Scythe which treats the whole “immortality” in a different way but also ponders what humanity does when death isn’t somethign that happens in the same way it used to.

Books, Subscription Boxes

Lost in the Bookstore Owlcrate Unboxing

Posted on October 31, 2018

Not exactly a creepy post (and I guess it isn’t exactly anyone’s nightmare to get lost in the library/bookstore, maybe?) but it is a gorgeous box and I had to post the unboxing. Plus it had two books! Starting from the top right corner and going clockwise:

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa. This is a special edition cover and I am eager to read this book as I have heard good things about it.
Owlcrate heart tea infuser. Absolutely cute, but not for me (why? because I am a tea nerd and prefer an infuser that fits almost any mug or teapot and lets the leaves move around freely). However, I do love they included one since there’s also some tea in the box.
Owlcrate theme card and pin/badge. Loved the artwork for this one so much!
Book Nerd socks, which coincidentially I am wearing as I write this post. They are soft, and comfortable and very bookish.
Chocolate Mint Truffle Tea. It definitely tastes like a minty chocolate and it is actually refreshing as a tea.
Books are a unique portable magic “clutch”. I love this little thing and have been keeping one of my crochet projects in it. It protects it well and is handy, plus it means the hook won’t disappear beyond the clutch.
Pride, a remix of Pride & Prejudice, more in a modernised setting. I am intrigued and unsure what to expect.
Mirror of Erised print (potentially the less interesting part of the box for me, but I am not a big fan of prints).

As you can see it was glorious and cosy and just right. I was actually glad that it wasn’t a “spooky” box as that sometimes can be too much and too many boxes doing it.

Book Review

The Boneless Mercies Review

Posted on October 29, 2018

The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke

A dark standalone YA fantasy about a band of mercenary girls in search of female glory.

Frey, Ovie, Juniper, and Runa are the Boneless Mercies—girls hired to kill quickly, quietly, and mercifully. But Frey is weary of the death trade and, having been raised on the heroic sagas of her people, dreams of a bigger life.

When she hears of an unstoppable monster ravaging a nearby town, Frey decides this is the Mercies’ one chance out. The fame and fortune of bringing down such a beast would ensure a new future for all the Mercies. In fact, her actions may change the story arc of women everywhere.

Rating:

It took me a little to get into this book. Mostly because it starts with a death and that is an interesting way of starting (it reminded me a little of palliative care). However, once I got more familiar with the world and what being a Mercy meant, then it became easier to follow.

It is like a lyrical epic quest story and there was beauty about that, as it was also intriguing to learn about all the ways of seeing the world that each “group” had. A witches war, the quicks, and so many others that made me want to know more about each of them.

Another interesting thing was the way relationships exist here and how things just flow and happen. There’s a lack of judgement that was strange and magical to read, and it was interesting to see that woven intot he tale. You never know for sure what is going on.

I also loved the actual monster fight, but not a lot to say since I do not want to spoil it, but it had a thing I liked and didn’t like and it was refreshing to see.

Moon recommends

Reading The Boneless Mercies. I haven’t read such a lyrical feminist adventure in a while (combined, I have read one or the other) and it was good to read. I am not entirely sure what kind of book fits with it so hard to suggest something else. Maybe Fallible Justice, even if it is a little different in style (it is urban fantasy rather than just fantasy).

Book Review

The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage Review

Posted on October 27, 2018

The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua

In The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage Sydney Padua transforms one of the most compelling scientific collaborations into a hilarious set of adventures

Meet two of Victorian London’s greatest geniuses… Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron: mathematician, gambler, and proto-programmer, whose writings contained the first ever appearance of general computing theory, a hundred years before an actual computer was built. And Charles Babbage, eccentric inventor of the Difference Engine, an enormous clockwork calculating machine that would have been the first computer, if he had ever finished it.

But what if things had been different? The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage presents a delightful alternate reality in which Lovelace and Babbage do build the Difference Engine and use it to create runaway economic models, battle the scourge of spelling errors, explore the wider realms of mathematics and, of course, fight crime – for the sake of both London and science. Extremely funny and utterly unusual, The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage comes complete with historical curiosities, extensive footnotes and never-before-seen diagrams of Babbage’s mechanical, steam-powered computer. And ray guns.

Rating:

For all those that don’t know, I started learning how to program when I was 7-8 years old. But the fall in love with coding and diagrams and everything else only happened when I was 12-15. (I would happily stay in coding than go out during recess, my nerd flag flies high).

So of course, this book caught my eye when I was grief shock browsing Waterstones after the news of my aunt’s death. It was as if the book called my name and I happily got it.

It is a comic, not a “this is totally legit and happened” kind of book. However it is full of footnotes of the research done for the comic and the footnotes are linked to real information about their lives.

The artwork is dynamic and fun, the footnotes fill you up with information about Lovelace, Babbage and their families/lives. And it has some alternative universes shenanigans that I adored, so all in all it is a delightful read if you aren’t expecting only a graphic novel and can cope with footnotes larger than the comic on the page that will make you laugh, and want to strangle someone and at times go “oh, I didn’t know that, crazy!”.

[Also, the book underneath the book, is the book I used to learn and then teach programming].

Moon recommends

Go read about Lovelace and Babbage, or go check out Rosie Revere kind of books, or any kind of book that floats your boat!

Book Review

Orgo Runners: Skull Cavern Review

Posted on October 25, 2018

This will be a slightly informal review as this is a short story. But I won’t skip the rating so no worries there.

Rating:

This is meant to be a spooky adventure and I think for children it would be (I can totally imagine this being read to them and having to do voices and it works for the creepy/scary factor quite well). And of course it is but a short story, placed between books.

One of the things it does very well is to make you want to read the next book, as it hints at things to come that they discover in this particular cavern. (I definitely want to know more, but to say what about would be to spoil this story).

The pacing is fast and it still covers a kind of recap included in the story, just in case you have read the books a while ago and don’t remember everything. Trey and Badger were very happy to see that Orgo and Gugubats are still part of the story, even in this short one, so they posed alongside the book, eager to please.

[In case you haven’t been following on twitter, Trey is the Orgo on the left of the picture, and Badger is the Gugubat on the right holding the book. A group of us post pictures of the adventures of our little Orgos (and gugubat) with the tag #iwantanorgo #orgoadventures which you can follow if you’re curious].

Book Review

Fruits Basket Another Vol 1 Review

Posted on October 23, 2018

Fruits Basket Another Volume 1 by Natsuki Takaya

Fruits Basket manga creator Natsuki Takaya will launch the Fruits Basket another sequel manga. The manga will take place after Tohru has graduated high school, and will feature a girl named Sawa who has just entered the high school.

Rating:

I saw this one at Waterstones while browsing and had to have it, as Fruits Basket is the only manga series I have complete, all the volumes. They were a parting gift (when I moved to the UK) from my best friend, who passed away two years later. So they have a lot of meaning to me.

Admitedly I wasn’t sure what to expect, and it was confusing to go into the story not being sure who was who. It does get explained as the story moves on, but I found it way more confusing than the original manga.

On the good side it still has the same story vibe and the artwork is gorgeous, but it is too close to the original in some ways, that I would rather not have it be that close.

Moon recommends

Skip this “continuation” or revival, and go read the original series. That is much better. If you like manga, CLAMP is always a good one to choose (they’re a group of artists, and they are the master minds behind Sakura Card Captor).

Subscription Boxes

Dreams & Nightmares Litjoy Crate Unboxing

Posted on October 21, 2018

Look at this gorgeous box! I couldn’t resist getting Litjoy’s special edition crate for Muse of Nightmares. I already had the gorgeous Fairyloot edition of Strange the Dreamer, so I wanted a nice edition to match, and this one is definitely gorgeous.

The box was full of purple delightful things as you can see below.

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Starting on the book and going round clockwise:

Muse of Nightmares, it came with an auhtor letter and signed. And this is the American edition (I have UK edition for Strange, but somehow find this one matches beautifully the blue).
A gorgeous quilted booksleeve with a button (I liked that detail and the print of the fabric).
Lull Tea.
Shiny charm bracelet wiht a purple moth. <3
Logo pin which is also delightful and very detailed.
A hardbacked journal with a dreamy scene. It has a ribbon bookmark and elastic band.
Mug cake, old fashioned one (I have yet to try it, but looks intriguing).
Goddess of Dreams fabric/linen spray.
Trading cards.
MY favourite item, a gorgeous potion bottle with a candle inside.
And of course the theme and contents booklet.

It was a very purple edition and I was extremely pleased by it.

Subscription Boxes

Yume Twins Unboxing

Posted on October 19, 2018

Hi everyone, sorry, I know the picture is dark, but it’s a sign of autumn and the days are darker so I come home to less light and picture taking is affected a little by it.

This is October’s Yume Twins box. And one of my favourite ones surprisingly. Starting from the top right corner and going clockwise:

Cute fluffy bunny plushie.
Origami Ghibli sheets (mine are Spirited Away themed which of course is not a bad thing and the only thing better would’ve been Howl’s Moving Castle).
Cat fingerless gloves. They are super soft and fluffy and come with a string so you can attache them to each other and hang around your neck.
Nyan Vampire Cat stickers (I didn’t know of this cat but I am loving him!)
Pokemon mini towels. They seem the perfect travel face towel size and good quality and there’s three of them (I had fun trying to find a way to show all three without actually opening the pack).
Kiki’s Delivery Service mug. It is a plastic cup/mug and it was the first thing I unboxed and I loved it. It reminds me of my childhood (I didn’t have a mug Kiki themed, but I had Disney and Winnie the Pooh ones in similar shape and style).
Finally, the gorgeous file holder (I think it may also be called a file pocket?) with Nyan Cat on it. It has like an envelope thing inside to hold your files so they don’t just slide down and out of it.

I loved this box and it was very very cute (plus all the Ghibli stuff, yay!)

Book Review, Books

Vicious Review

Posted on October 17, 2018

Vicious by V. E. Schwab

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

Rating:

V. E. Schwab can write anything and I will read it. As I have said before somewhere, her books and writing remind me a lot of the writing of my favourite authors (who wrote in the 70-80’s). Vicious is not an exception.

The story has a brutality that you don’t see much of, it is too close to reality, yet it is also not real at all. Victor and Eli pose interesting questions as characters and how they approach the vents (and becoming EOs).

For me it was interesting to read this, as I understood a little of each. I understood Victor’s stubborness and his drive to move forward, to do. And also I know how he felt by being invisible. I used to be the smart invisible friend, the shadow of someone better at people than I was (I have since found I am my own light, but that is a different story) so I got it all too well. And his EO power is something that at times I wish I had (specially having HMS/EDS).

On the other hand I also understood Eli’s faith, his drive to make things “good” and to be the hero. I was brought up in a very religious family (my parents champion the science in the Bible and how it matches science and give talks on it) and I do have faith but this I have developed on my own (asking so many questions of it and God, but again, another story).

I understood a little bit of Serena and Sydney, being a sister and all that sibling life.

There is also the whole NDE (Near Death Experience) part of it that triggers the EO, and I loved that. It ties in with City of Ghosts, and I wonder if they happen in a way in the same universe or in somewhat parallel ones (which reminds me a little of Steelheart).

All in all, this is a brutal book. It is about pain, about dying and what makes you want to stay in this world and how that shapes you. It is about morals and power. But it is mostly about broken people.

Moon recommends

I wholly recommend Vicious, however I also believe it is one of those books that not everyone will stomach and that is absolutely fine. If you find the concept of NDE intriguing, why not try City of Ghosts? And if you’re into superpowers and interesting “superheroes”, I highly recommend Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson (who also tends to work with broken people a lot in his writing).